Board of Directors Meeting Minutes – May 16, 2017

Attention: This post is over 2 years old and the information may be out of date.Attention: This post is over 2 years old and the information may be out of date.

AGENDA

May 16, 2017, 9:00 a.m.

Harold Washington Library Center

400 S. State Street

Lower Level, Multi-Purpose Room

  1. Approval of minutes for the April 18, 2017 meeting (action required)
  2. CPL Capital Projects and Facilities Report (info only)
  3. Commissioner’s Report (info only)
    • New Director of Staff and Organization Development, Julie Morgan
    • New Libraries
    • All Staff Institute Day
    • Harold Washington Exhibit
    • STEAM Powered Saturday
    • Cindy Pritzker Lecture
    • CPL Events Highlights
  4. Chicago Public Library Foundation Report
  5. Other Business
  6. Public Comment

Next Board meeting:

June 20, 2017, 9:00 a.m.

Back of the Yards Branch

2111 W. 47th Street

Open Session Minutes

Physically Present:

Linda Johnson Rice, Christopher Valenti, Lynn Lockwood, Barbara Bowman, Jodi Block, Dominique Jordan Turner

Present by Means of Video or Audio Conference:

None

Absent:

Denise Gardner, Patricia Gaytan Perez

Approval of the minutes (action required)

The Board voted (6-0) to approve the minutes of the April 18, 2017 meeting.

CPL Capital Projects and Facilities Report (info only)

Rodney Freeman, Assistant Commissioner of Central Library Services provided an update on the progress of the Thomas Hughes Children’s Library at HWLC. Andrea Telli, Assistant Commissioner of Neighborhood Services presented the Capital Building Projects and Facilities report on neighborhood libraries.

Projects Under Construction

  • Thomas Hughes Children’s Library – Scope: completion of design, bidding and delivery of construction for the 24,620 sq. ft. Thomas Hughes Children’s Library with upgrades to technology infrastructure. Current activity: (no changes) images were presented on the current status of the THCL. As a reminder, the library closed to the public on November 5, 2016 with construction beginning on December 1st. The library is estimated to be complete by April 28th and open to the public in Summer 2017. Materials and branch staff which included three staff groups (STEAM Team, Citywide Children Services and the HWLC Children Services department) will begin to move into the space in early May.
  • Woodson – Construction Update: Contractor – Ujamaa Construction
    • Scope: new terra cotta façade with metal panels in the rear of the building with matching color; new energy efficient and insulated windows, exterior doors and entrance with automatic push pads for accessibility; new curtain wall which will bring natural daylighting into lobby and 2nd floor; film with digital images applied on glass on south and southeast elevations; new energy efficient and insulated roof; new modern interior and exterior security cameras; renovation and modification to the lobby and monumental stairway; construction of two new 2nd floor study rooms.
    • Current activity: roof work continues; exterior wall framing and fire proofing at the north and south facades continues; drywall installation is almost complete at the west façade; metal panel installation is complete at the east façade; small detailing components at the windows and roof remain.

Major Maintenance and Repair Projects

  • Sulzer – (no changes) Phase 1: exterior work is substantially complete. Phase 2: Scope – New BAS system to help control and balance temperatures in the building; interior improvements are pending funding and are being priced to include a reconfigured circulation desk, new flooring, drywall repairs, paint, lighting upgrades, staff lounge upgrade and upgrades to the community room and auditorium.
  • Legler – Complete: interior repairs and improvements to the children’s area for Early Learning including plaster repair and paint, new carpet “crawl through” bookshelf, and new flooring; talk tube installation is scheduled for May 22. Upgrade toilet rooms for ADA compliance and LED lighting in atrium lay light are pending funding.
  • Mabel Manning – Scope: interior renovations include build out of Early Learning Area, fire alarm replacement, ceiling tile replacement and new kitchenette millwork and plumbing. Current and upcoming activity: installation of six exterior and two interior windows in the community room to allow for daylighting into the building; work began May 11 and will continue until June 9.
  • North Austin – (no changes) Scope: interior upgrades include electrical power and lighting in public areas, door repairs and replacement, window seals, tuck-pointing and repairs/refresh of the circulation desk. Current and upcoming activity: pricing is under review; construction is estimated to begin in early June.
  • Blackstone – Scope: preliminary scope will include full tuck-pointing and repair of the masonry on the exterior of the building; roofing and window repairs, repairs to water damaged areas; HVAC upgrades; new flooring and reconfiguration/upgrade of the circulation desk. Current and upcoming activity: pricing has been approved and the contractor is preparing a logistics plan and schedule for 2FM and CPL’s review. Work to begin in June.
  • Chicago Bee – Scope (pending funding): expansion of current landmark building; envelope repairs; new mechanical systems and BAS for HVAC; controlled lighting; early learning center; YOUmedia Digital Lab; upgrades to the fire alarm system, technology infrastructure, circulation desk, community room, restrooms, flooring and paint.
  • Kelly – Scope: tuck-pointing, repairs to stone entry stairs, minor landscaping, window repairs, mechanical and fire alarm upgrades; restroom upgrades; build out of an Early Learning Area and a YOUmedia space for teens; new flooring and paint throughout; upgrades to the circulation desk and additional power/data connections. Current activity: contractors are preparing final package; construction start estimated for end of June 2017.
  • Austin – Scope: complete roof and skylight replacement. Current activity: contractors are preparing contracts, shop drawings, schedule and logistics; goal is to begin work as soon as possible.

Projects In Planning

  • Early Learning Spaces – Early Learning spaces have been completed at the West Englewood, Little Village, West Pullman and Legler and Budlong Woods branches; early learning spaces at Lozano, Austin-Irving and Toman branches are in progress for Q2 completion; for Q3, early learning spaces at Sulzer and South Chicago branches are in planning; planning is in place for early learning spaces at Thurgood Marshall, Woodson, Sherman Park and Kelly branches to be completed in Q4.
  • Whitney Young – Scope: Renovation and addition to the existing 10,400 sq. ft. library. Current activity: anticipate closing the branch in 4Q with fall groundbreaking.
  • CPL-CHA Partnership – (no changes) Reminder: new libraries are being built for the Altgeld, Northtown, Roosevelt and Independence branches. Current Activity: the design firms selected for each branch include Perkins + Will for Northtown, John Ronan Architects for Independence and Skidmore, Owings & Merrill for Roosevelt. CHA will select the design firm for Altgeld, site to be confirmed at the next CHA Board meeting. Estimated completion date for all 4 branches is Dec 2018.

Commissioner’s Report (info only)

Commissioner Bannon highlighted the following in the Commissioner’s report on the following:

  • CPL selected Julie Morgan as the new Director of Staff and Organization Development this week.
  • A new library is in planning that will serve the West Loop community; in partnership with the Obama Presidential Center, conversations are ongoing for a new library in the Hyde Park community; CPL will also receive funding for improvements to the Chicago Bee branch located in Bronzeville.
  • This year’s All Staff Institute Day (ASID) took place on Thursday, May 11th at HWLC where all CPL staff participated in a day of learning, training and networking. All Chicago Public Library locations were closed to the public.
  • The Harold Washington: Fairer Than Fair exhibit is on display in the Congress Corridor on the ground floor of Harold Washington Library Center.
  • CPL hosted STEAM Powered Saturday on Sat, May 13th at HWLC where children ages 3-11 celebrated the power of STEAM - Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and Math.
  • The 2017 Cindy Pritzker Lecture and Dinner is confirmed for 6 p.m. on Mon, September 25th at the Harold Washington Library Center in the Cindy Pritzker Auditorium. This year’s guest speaker will be David Simas, CEO of the Obama Presidential Foundation.
  • Highlighted events that occurred in May include:
    • Working in America Lunch Discussion with Cook County State’s Attorney Kim Foxx on Mon, May 8th
    • Mayor Harold Washington Commemorative Keynote Program: Valerie Jarrett in Conversation with Dr. Adam Green on Mon, May 15th
    • Author and Historian David McCullough read from and discussed his new book, The American Spirit: Who We Are and What We Stand For on Tues, May 16th
    • Working in America Lunch Discussion with Arne Duncan, Managing Partner at Emerson Collective and Former Secretary of Education on Wed, May 17th
    • and lastly the 2016-2017 One Book, One Chicago season wraps up on Thurs, May 18th, with a very special appearance by Barbara Kingsolver, author of “Animal, Vegetable, Miracle”. The 2017-2018 season of One Book, One Chicago will be announced in the fall, and kicks off October 1st.

Chicago Public Library Foundation Report (info only)

Rhona Frazin, President and CEO of the Chicago Public Library Foundation provided the Foundation report and emphasized the following:

  • CPLF has covered the entire $900,000+ cost of YOUmedia programming with significant new funding from very generous corporate and foundation donors
  • additional support of $25,000 from RR Donnelley and $20,000 from Cubs Care, a fund of the McCormick Foundation has been directed to the Summer Learning Challenge
  • STEM programming at the Library is getting a huge boost with a $344,000 grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services to create professional development programming for children and youth librarians
  • a $50,000 grant was received for Science Connections from People’s Gas
  • the Junior Board’s Night in the Stacks event in late March raised a record-breaking gross total of $180,000 in cash and in-kind gifts
  • CPLF is in deep planning for this year’s Carl Sandburg Literary Awards Dinner on October 11th at the UIC Forum; this year we will honor Margaret Atwood and Dave Eggers, both prize winning authors of fiction and non-fiction

Other Business

None

Public Comment

None

Next Board Meeting

The next board meeting will be held on Tuesday, June 20, 2017 at 9:00 a.m. at the Back of the Yards branch located at 2111 W. 47th Street.

Commissioner’s Report

New Director of Staff and Organization Development

Today, CPL welcomes a new Director of Staff and Organization Development, Julie Morgan. Ms. Morgan was previously a Training Manager for the past 5 years for the Administrative Office of the Illinois Courts, where she designed and delivered professional development and skill-building programs for State of Illinois Judicial Branch stakeholders, primarily judges. She is a native of Chicago, earning her B.A. from the University of Illinois - Urbana Champaign, and her J.D. from the University of Iowa.

New Libraries

  • West Loop - Last month, we held a press conference with Alderman Burnett to announce new developments, including a new Chicago Public Library branch on the Near West Side. The library, planned for a 16,500-square-foot space at 118 N. Aberdeen St. that previously housed Oprah’s Harpo studios, will serve the Near West Side’s rapidly growing residential community. The two-story property will be rehabilitated for library use by owner Sterling Bay and provided to the Chicago Public Library system, pending the City’s review and approval processes. We look forward to bringing our trusted and innovative library services to the West Loop.
  • Chicago Bee - Earlier this month, Mayor Emanuel announced significant new investments in the Bronzeville community. Following the recent housing developments and the new Mariano’s in the neighborhood, Mayor Emanuel announced that in addition to funding a new field house in Williams Park, CPL will receive $2.32 million for improvements to the historic Chicago Bee Branch. This library sits in a historic landmark district, housed in the old Chicago Bee newspaper facility. The branch is located on the first floor of the building, and this new investment will allow us to expand to the second floor, adding 2,000 square feet of library space, including new YOUmedia and early learning areas.
  • Chicago Public Library Partnership with Obama Presidential Center - Since President Obama discussed the collaboration between Chicago Public Library and the planned Presidential Center at the May 3rd community meeting, planning activities between CPL and the Obama Foundation are very active. A design meeting to discuss branch library elements within the center will take place soon. The neighborhood does not currently have a public library, so this is a huge opportunity to bring public library services to the community.

We see many opportunities for connecting CPL's mission to engage and strengthen communities with the work of the future Presidential Center and ways in which we might collaborate with the Center across our branch library system. Build-out for the branch library would be included in the larger project and funded by the Obama Foundation, and the City would take on operational responsibilities once complete.

All Staff Institute Day (ASID)

The 2017 All Staff Institute Day was held on Thursday, May 11th at the Harold Washington Library Center. The theme for this year’s ASID was “Stronger Together: Celebrating our Commitment and Connecting to our Community”. The day began with a welcome from Commissioner Bannon, First Deputy Commissioner Sáenz and a Keynote address delivered by Tracie Hall, Director of the Joyce Foundation’s Culture Program. Throughout the day, staff experienced best in class training that included courses on Mental Health Awareness, Effective Customer Service, Reader Advisory and the Summer Learning Challenge and much more.

The Annual OWL Awards were presented by Director Valenti, Vice President of the Chicago Public Library Board of Directors for:

  • Outstanding Branch Manager - Melissa Kaszynski
  • Neighborhood Services Outstanding Reference Staff member - Debra Burns
  • Neighborhood Services Outstanding Clerk – Victoria Estrada
  • Neighborhood Services Outstanding Page – Helen Burger
  • Central Library Outstanding Manager or Reference Staff Member – Melissa Wagner
  • Central Library Services Outstanding Clerk or Page – Helen Nurse
  • Outstanding Support Staff Member at Harold Washington Library - Isabella Nowak

Harold Washington: Fairer than Fair Exhibit at HWLC

The Harold Washington: Fairer Than Fair exhibit is on display and runs through August 20th in Harold Washington Library Center's Congress Corridor on the ground floor. This exhibit captures the charisma of Mayor Harold Washington, who fought for fair treatment of all Chicagoans, regardless of race, neighborhood, religion or any other category. Fairness was his watchword. He tirelessly reached out to underrepresented communities and brought them into his government, often for the first time. This exhibit was held in conjunction with the Mayor Harold Washington Commemorative Keynote: Valerie Jarrett in Conversation with Dr. Adam Green program on Monday, May 15th.

STEAM Powered Saturday

Children ages 3-11 and their families will join us for a celebration of the power of STEAM - Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and Math on Saturday, May 13 at HWLC to take part in a wide range of activities, including hands-on robotics, an engineering challenge, opportunities to learn with scientists, a drone, and more.

Cindy Pritzker Lecture

We have confirmed the 2017 Cindy Pritzker Lecture and Dinner for Mon, September 25th at the Harold Washington Library Center. The lecture will begin at 6 p.m. in the Cindy Pritzker Auditorium and will be followed by a private dinner in the Winter Garden. This year’s guest speaker will be David Simas, CEO of the Obama Presidential Foundation. In 2009, Simas joined the Obama Administration as a Deputy Assistant to the President working with senior advisors David Axelrod and David Plouffe. Mr. Simas then served as Director of Opinion Research for President Obama's re-election. Following the re-election, he returned to the White House as Assistant to the President and Director of the Office of Political Strategy and Outreach. Currently, Simas serves as the CEO of the Chicago-based Obama Presidential Foundation. He lives in Washington with his wife Shauna and two daughters, Payton and Rowan.

The Cindy Pritzker Lecture on Urban Life and Issues is presented by the Board of Directors of the Chicago Public Library in honor of Cindy Pritzker, the former president of the Chicago Public Library Board and founder of the Chicago Public Library Foundation. This public lecture provides the speaker with an opportunity to discuss their ideas, actions, and inspirations, drawn from contemporary life and experience. Past speakers have included Frank Gehry, Martha Lavey, Mayor Rahm Emanuel, Theaster Gates, Mayor Richard M. Daley and Vartan Gregorian.

CPL Events Highlights

  • Kim Foxx - On Mon, May 8th, Project& and Chicago Public Library hosted a Working in America Lunch Discussion with Kim Foxx, Cook County State’s Attorney where she talked about her working life, her passion for public service and her deep connection with her community in Chicago. The discussion took place at HWLC at the Working in America Exhibit located on the third floor.
  • Valerie Jarrett - Last night, May 15th, CPL held the Mayor Harold Washington Commemorative Keynote Program: Valerie Jarrett in Conversation with Dr. Adam Green at 6 p.m. in the Winter Garden. Valerie Jarrett has had a distinguished career, most recently acting as Senior Advisor to President Barack Obama. Prior to that, she worked in the administrations of Mayors Harold Washington and Richard M. Daley.

In this program, Ms. Jarrett conversed with Dr. Adam Green to reflect on her time within Mayor Washington’s administration and ways in which his groundbreaking time in office helped pave the way to the presidency of Barack Obama. The event was presented in commemoration of the legacy of Mayor Harold Washington and in partnership with the Mayor Harold Washington Legacy Committee, The HistoryMakers and the Chicago Urban League.

  • David McCullough - This afternoon, May 16th, CPL will host Author and Historian David McCullough at 1 p.m. in the 9th floor Winter Garden. In honor of the opening of the new American Writers Museum, David McCullough will read from and discuss his new book, The American Spirit: Who We Are and What We Stand For. This collection of speeches by the most honored historian of the United States reminds us of who we are and what we stand for. Dr. McCullough will sign copies of the book, which will be available for sale at the event from The Book Stall at Chestnut Court. This event is presented in partnership with the American Writers Museum.
  • Arne Duncan – Tomorrow, May 17th, Project& and Chicago Public Library invite you to join us for another Working in America Lunch Discussion with Arne Duncan, Managing Partner at Emerson Collective and Former Secretary of Education. He will talk about his working life, his connection to the Chicago community and his mission to improve the lives of young adults. The discussion will be held from 12 p.m. to 1:30 p.m. at the Working in America Exhibit located on the third floor of HWLC.
  • OBOC Season Wrap Up – The 2016-2017 One Book, One Chicago season wraps up this Thursday, May 18th, with a very special appearance by Barbara Kingsolver, author of “Animal, Vegetable, Miracle” at the Harold Washington Library Center. From October 2016 through May 2017 we explored the theme of “Eat, Think, Grow” through Kingsolver’s book, which is a memoir of her family’s year of eating locally grown food.

Throughout the season, we offered a variety of ways for Chicagoans to engage with our theme, some of which include making over 1,000 copies of “Animal, Vegetable, Miracle” available for check out, offering more than a dozen main stage events, panel discussions on food and culture, film screenings on food sustainability documentaries and appearances by food experts Lidia Bastianich, Alice Waters, and author Barbara Kingsolver to name a few.

The 2017-2018 season of One Book, One Chicago will be announced in the fall, and kick off October 1. In the meantime, the Department of Cultural and Civic Engagement is hard at work preparing for another great season of programming!

Chicago Public Library Foundation Report

The Chicago Public Library Foundation Board and Staff are pleased to present this report to the Chicago Public Library Board, bringing you up to date on the results of our collaborative fundraising efforts since our last report in March.

We have covered the entire $900,000+ cost of YOUmedia programming with significant new funding from very generous corporate and foundation donors. This includes a $1 million investment over the next three years from BMO Harris Bank in honor of their 150th Anniversary. Allstate has made a pace-setting grant of $250,000, and Susan Crown Exchange has granted $100,000 over two years in a very highly competitive national selection process.

In addition, the Allstate Foundation and Allstate agents from around the country will be engaging in a volunteer project next week which will result in a $50,000 grant to purchase all raffle reward books and backpacks for this year’s Summer Learning Challenge. Additional support of $25,000 from RR Donnelley and $20,000 from Cubs Care, a fund of the McCormick Foundation has been directed to the Summer Learning Challenge.

STEM programming at the Library is getting a huge boost with a $344,000 grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services to create professional development programming for children and youth librarians in collaboration with the Museum of Science and Industry; and a $50,000 grant for Science Connections from People’s Gas.

Finally, we are very encouraged by the support which have generated through Foundation special events. The highly successful Junior Board’s Night in the Stacks in late March raised a record-breaking gross total of $180,000 in cash and in-kind gifts, and our Co-Chairs Jackie Griesdorn and Graham Grady are deep in planning for this year’s Carl Sandburg Literary Awards Dinner on October 11 at the UIC Forum.

The Foundation and Library are thrilled to be honoring Margaret Atwood and Dave Eggers, both prize winning authors of fiction and non-fiction at the Dinner. These authors have been in the news lately as Atwood’s The Handmaid’s Tale is a much-talked-about series on Hulu and climbing the best seller charts and Egger’s The Circle has debuted as a major motion picture starring Tom Hanks. Fundraising for the dinner is moving swiftly, with more than $500,000 in revenue raised to date and growing daily.

We hope you will mark your calendars for another memorable evening on October 11.